The Republican National Convention.

Touring San Diego

Despite Gop Crowd, Shamu Still Uncommitted

August 15, 1996|By Ellen Warren, Tribune Staff Writer.

SAN DIEGO — There is no truth whatsoever to the rumor that Illinois Senate President James "Pate" Philip is backing a plan to make Shamu, the famous performing whale, the new symbol of the Republican Party.

And any similarities between the white-haired senator from Wood Dale and the white-patched whale from San Diego's Sea World are strictly coincidental. Nothing more.

However, Pate the senator and Shamu the whale did meet for the first time on Wednesday--or at least were at the same party. This just fueled the rumor that Philip would support Shamu as a replacement for the venerable elephant as the party's animal symbol. It simply is not true.

Philip suggested that the rumor was merely a silly contrivance of the elite liberal media starved for something to write about at the convention.

That's probably true. Perhaps the idea stems from a certain association in the public mind between the whale and the senaytor that started a few years back when Philip started sporting a pair of blue pants with green whales embroidered all over them.

He was hard to miss, what with the matching emerald-green blazer.

But Philip says he doesn't have the whale pants anymore. "They shrank," he said, smiling over an ample middle covered by his official white Illinois GOP delegate convention golf shirt.

She said it would be impossible for the GOP to change its symbol to the whale.

"I have too many elephant things," she said, noting her golden elephant earrings. "I have underwear with elephants on it."

Her husband said he had no pachyderm undergarments (or tattoos), but he doesn't favor the switch anyhow.

Philip, his wife and many members of the Illinois delegation Wednesday were at Sea World, home of Shamu, as part of the frolicking at the GOP convention in California.

"It's taken the Republican Party some time to get smart, but they finally have," the outspoken Philip said. "We don't have to be down at the convention hall except from 5 to 8. The rest of the time we can golf, fish and go to Sea World."

Philip and others went deep-sea fishing much of Tuesday and the senator has three nicks in his hands from the fishhooks to prove it.

It has been a successful convention already for the unconventional Philip. "We ran into a school of Spanish mackerel. Hooked one every other cast."

Though he did not see any whales on the trip, he acknowledged that there was a similarity between himself and the other huge mammal. They both "like to kiss," he said.

At Sea World, ordinary folks pay $30.95 to enter and $5 to park. But Springfield lobbyist Gerald Shea, former Democratic leader of the Illinois House, boasted that his client, Anheuser-Busch, was picking up the Sea World party tab for the delegation. The beer company owns Sea World.

Not surprisingly, most of the political jokes made at the four-hour Sea World outing and barbecued chicken luncheon came at the shark tank.

"We called one of them Mike Madigan," said Illinois Sen. Martin Butler (R-Park Ridge), referring to the Democratic House leader.

Meanwhile, back on the Shamu beat, Illinois Sen. Dave Syverson of Rockford said he thought making Shamu the new GOP symbol was a great idea.

"Whales are very graceful," he said. "That's pretty much the way we Republicans are. But when we look at a budget, then we're deadly," he said, straining the metaphor.

Turning to "Moby Dick" for a little inspiration, Syverson said, "The Democrats are like Capt. Ahab out to kill our ideas. But, in the end, on Election Day (like Ahab), they'll get theirs."

Lawyer John Jungward, visiting Sea World with his wife and son from their home in Yuma, Ariz., had a different view of why the whale would be a good Republican symbol. "They splash around a lot--but never leave the tank."

Jill Jungward reflected on the whale's blowhole. This made her think of blowhards and then she started to free-associate. "I'm thinking of Newt Gingrich," she said.